Worldview Legacy | The Think Institute

Have you ever thought about Hell? I remember staying awake in bed when I was seven years old, thinking to myself how awful it was that people were, at that very moment, suffering in Hell, and there would be no escape for them. If you're like me, you have wrestled with the idea of hell and even questioned whether or not its fair for God to send people there.  This is certainly not a new question, and we are most definitely not the first people to wrestle with it. In fact, going back to the early centuries of Christianity, there were those who put forward the idea that Hell was not actually everlasting, and that one day all persons (even evil spirits and Satan himself) would one day be finally reconciled to God.  This school of thought is called Universalism. It received broad acceptance early on, but then was condemned as a heresy (false teaching) after about two hundred years (which, in the span of church history is really a drop in the bucket). So what should Christians today think about Universalism? Is there an acceptable form of Christian Universalism?  In this episode of the Think Podcast, we're going to help equip you to find the answer. Our goal is going to be to compare and contrast Christian Universalism with orthodox Christianity. We'll look at what the Bible teaches about sin, salvation and the afterlife, and then present some of the best arguments in favor of Christian Universalism, to help you answer them.  Get the full show notes at TheThink.Institute.

Part 2 of Christian Universalism. For the full show notes, go to thethink.institute.

Is the Universe a Simulation? Have you ever wondered if the world around you was actually an illusion? It might seem silly to even entertain the idea, but believe it or not this is a very hot topic in some philosophical (and pop-philosophical) circles right now. Everyone from Elon Musk, to Joe Rogan, to Neil deGrasse Tyson have publicly wondered aloud about whether we are living in some kind of computer simulation. It makes for some very interesting podcast listening, but the question, Are we living in a simulation, actually turns out to be harder to answer than it might appear at first. So, are we living in a simulation? PEOPLE, RESOURCES AND ARTICLES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE Renee Descartes’ “cogito, ergo sum” The Mandela Effect James Anderson’s article, “Are We Living in a Computer Simulation?” Nick Bostrom The Principle of Parsimony (Occam’s Razor) Alvin Plantinga’s Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism For the complete show notes, go to TheThink.Institute.

Have you ever been concerned that science seems to conflict with Christian faith? Science is often talked about as though it is an alternative to religion. That is, a popular conception is that science has replaced Christianity as the best explanation for why the world is the way it is. Is that really true? Whether you're fascinated by science like me (Joel), or not, you probably know that the world of science has yielded some absolutely incredible discoveries over the last century. One of the coolest of those discoveries is the discovery of the double-helix DNA, the building blocks of life. DNA can be difficult to understand and explain but it is essentially the instructions within our cells that tell our cells what to do and determine what kind of organism we will be. All this begs the question: has the new information science has brought forth served to support Christian truth claims, or does it undermine Christianity? Should Christians be concerned that what we believe is unscientific? Our guest today is Scott Youngren, and he is going to help us find the answer. Scott is a pilot by day, apologetics blogger by night. Scott has been writing on apologetics for 10 years, and he brings his experience to bear in answering the question of where DNA comes from. Scott explains why DNA is an actual language, and how language must come from a mind, and why the language of DNA is inexplicable apart from God. Don't miss this exciting, educational and equipping discussion on God and DNA. You can check out the show notes for this episode on thethink.institute/ For more great resources on the Christian perspective, Gospel engagement and the defense of the Christian message, visit http://thethink.institute.

Joel and Parker answer the question: how should Christians think about Jordan Peterson?

God is the infinite, personal, Triune Lord, who is higher than everything yet present everywhere, and who has exercises authority and control over all things. There is much we could say about the biblical view of God. However, whatever we say about him, we must do so in a way that both agrees with what the Bible says, and is understandable (which means avoiding unnecessary theological jargon). Knowing God is life’s greatest privilege, and it is our privilege as believers to share that knowledge with others. This episode is an audio recording of the Think Institute article, How to Explain Who God Is. To get the full show notes, go to truthinconversation.com

When Is It Right to Get Offended? As we strive to be more like Jesus, we find ourselves confronted with the question, when should Christians get offended? We can clearly see in the New Testament that some things did offend Jesus. In fact, some things that got him the most upset seem to be things that would be commonplace to us--nothing worth getting mad about. Other times, we see him resist reacting, or respond calmly (or not at all), over instances that would cause us to fly off the handle. How do we think biblically about our experiences, in order to respond the way Jesus wants us to? Are Trigger Warnings Helpful? In the interest of not offending students, professors started issuing trigger warnings at the beginning of lectures dealing with potentially-sensitive subjects. What began as a potentially-helpful practice has, over the last few years, grown into a cultural meme far beyond the halls of academia. Today, the idea of “triggering” others has become a badge of honor for some who take pride in “melting” (offending, refuting, etc.) “snowflakes” (people who are just as unique and special as they are fragile). I (Joel) have been known to offend atheists, by making arguments like the ones in the episode, “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Science.” The offense was not intentional, but it happened nonetheless. It is ironic that it is self-styled conservatives who take the most pride in triggering self-professed progressives (who are usually more accurately called Leftists), given recent history. Going back about one generation, it was those on the left who were taking pride in offending conservatives and Christians. Their repeated refrain was a call for Christians and conservatives to be more “tolerant.” Today the roles seem to have flipped. What Being Offended Really Means When someone says they feel offended, they are really saying they have been wronged. In theological language, we might say they have been sinned against. They are the victims of an offense. Do We Have the Right Not To Be Offended? As Christians, our interest is not to be in defending our own honor. We are not to be those who seek to avoid becoming triggered at all costs. Like our Lord, we are to exhibit thick skins in the face of personal offense. Jesus, “was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). We need to be seeking spiritual conversations (for help with this, see “How to Get Into Spiritual Conversations”). However, when we do this, we will inevitably encounter positions we disagree with. When that happens, we ought to look to the Bible as our guide for how to respond. When we look at Scripture, we see that there are times when it is right to exhibit righteous indignation. Jesus became outraged when Gentiles and children were hindered from drawing near to God. In the latter case, he rebuked his disciples. In the former, he flipped some tables and got out a whip. He warned people sternly not to cause children to sin. He was angered by the Pharisees who closed the door to the Kingdom of God and refused to let anyone else enter. As followers of Jesus, we need not be preoccupied with defending our supposed right to not be offended. However, when barriers are placed between repentant sinners and the love of God, then we are right to not only get offended, but to act accordingly until things are made right. Get complete show notes at truthinconversation.com.

Feeling Weary? Have you ever felt weary? So weary that you felt it in your soul? When was that? Maybe it was after busy season at work, or after wrapping up a major ministry project in ministry caring for a loved one. What does God say about being weary? The Bible has a lot to say about the weary soul. Also, I have I have discussed a biblical perspective on weariness in episodes, If God is Good, Why Did He Let This Happen to Me? and Ends, Means & Evangelism (blogcast). Because the Bible has so much to say, it can be easy to pick a verse for a quick “head” fix, like Philippians 4:6, which says “Do not be anxious about anything,” and then grit your teeth and white-knuckle your way through. It can also be tempting to fixate on a verse for a “heart” (emotional) fix--something like Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Neither way--seeking only a “head” fix or only a “heart”/emotional fix--is very effective. Yet as Christians, we are supposed to have everything needed for life and godliness--and we’re supposed to be able to take what we know about God and experience rest and restoration for our weary souls. So how exactly does that happen? What does it mean to have a weary soul? And what do we do about it? In this episode we’re going to help you find the answer. My guest is Pastor Joe Thorn. Joe is the Lead Pastor at Redeemer Fellowship in St. Charles, Illinois, and a host of the Doctrine and Devotion podcast, with Jimmy Fowler. He has also written several books about the relationship between theology and the Christian life. Those books include Note to Self (which he talked about with the Biblical Counseling Coalition in 2011), and Experiencing the Trinity, in which he explains how a robust knowledge of God's nature can strengthen one's faith and bring believers back from the brink of falling away and restore them after burnout, exhaustion, and distress. Together we discuss the importance of theology as well as finding theological coaches to help us along our journey.  Get the show notes at https://bit.ly/2jWBB2m

Manliness is an incredibly hot topic right now. There is a whole online ecosystem known as the Manosphere, filled with guys ranging from so-called pickup artists all the way to those who run Christian ministries aimed at helping men pursue biblical manliness (our own friend Jarrett Samuels at the Pursuit of Manliness is doing great work in this are). The Art of Manliness is a massively-impactful website with a podcast near the top of the charts. Jordan Peterson, who encourages men to stand up straight with their shoulders back, has skyrocketed in popularity. Our guest today is Alex Rodriguez. Alex has launched a ministry that is uniquely focused on discipling and deploying men for Christ and his kingdom. We connected with him via social media months ago, and I (Joel) brought my son to one of his four-hour boot camps recently. In this episode, we will talk about the Men's Muster ministry, a man's place in the local church, the family and society, and how to develop the masculine mind. In addition to founding the Men's Muster, our guest earned his M. A. in Biblical and Theological Studies from Knox Theological Seminary. He's the Student Ministries Director at North Suburban Church in Deerfield, Illinois, and he's a husband and a father of four children. We've been looking forward to this conversation for a long time.  To follow the Men's Muster or contact Alex about a biblical boot camp for the men at your church, visit themensmuster.org. Would you help us get the word out about the Think Institute and Think Podcast? Give us a five-star rating and write us a short review on Apple Podcasts (tiny.cc/thinkpod). Follow along with the Think Institute for more great resources: truthinconversation.com. Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkInst Facebook: http://fb.me/thethinkinstitute Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thethinkinstitute/

My son has been in the hospital for over six months now. My wife posts updates on our Facebook page, "Pray for Superhero Lukas,", but I have not written much about him (outside of social media). However, as Lukas has been hospitalized, I have been doing a lot of thinking about God’s sovereignty, and I want to share my thoughts. Specifically, I want to talk about how I think the Lord is using my son’s health crisis to accomplish his mission for our family. So what does God’s sovereignty have to do with Lukas’s stay in the hospital? Aliza and I have been praying for the Lord to bless our ministry. What we most certainly did not expect were the means by which God was going to do this. What do I mean? What I mean is that the Lord is using our time here in the hospital to encourage Christians and to evangelize non-Christians. Aliza and I have had opportunities to share the Gospel with nurses and parents of other patients. Aliza’s blog is getting thousands of views–and she is sharing the Gospel in every post. Literally thousands of people are reading and hearing about Jesus Christ through our family’s pain and suffering. We do not have full insight into God’s plan as to why he has allowed us to enter into this trial. However, we are not afraid. Rather, we are “bold as lions”(Proverbs 28:1) because we know whom we have believed (2 Timothy 1:12). So we pray that God’s word would prove true: that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22), and that by the means our tribulations, our Sovereign God would accomplish his ends of saving many souls. Would you help us get the word out about the Think Institute and Think Podcast? Give us a five-star rating and write us a short review on Apple Podcasts (tiny.cc/thinkpod). Follow the Think Institute for more great resources: truthinconversation.com. Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkInst Facebook: http://fb.me/thethinkinstitute Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thethinkinstitute/